Reward offered for info on battery at Town Center Mall

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A woman is offering a $5,000 reward to track down the man who punched her 19-year-old son in the face outside the Charleston Town Center Mall this month.

The altercation left Eric Joshua Gomez, of Charleston, with injuries to his face that would require several minor surgeries to repair, said Lynn Gomez, his mother.

The incident happened shortly after security officers removed Gomez from the mall on Dec. 7.

Gomez was "belligerent" and spat on two security officers who escorted him onto Court Street at about 6 p.m., said Charleston Police Sgt. Tony Hazelett.

Once alone outside the mall, Hazelett said, Gomez made a rude comment to a woman and a woman's boyfriend. The woman's boyfriend then allegedly punched Gomez once in the face, knocking him to the ground. Gomez argued with arriving paramedic units, Hazelett said, and the man and his girlfriend left the scene.

Detectives are searching for the man who threw the punch. Multiple witnesses saw the altercation and described it to police, Hazelett said.

Eric Gomez was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, where doctors said he had severe swelling to both eyes, swelling to his forehead and a fracture to his right nasal bone. Doctors said he had a depressed sinus bone fracture, which requires surgery to repair, according to a medical report that Lynn Gomez provided. Her son has since been released from the hospital.

In the meantime, Eric Gomez has been charged with two counts of simple assault for spitting on the security guards. He is scheduled to appear in Charleston Municipal Court on Jan 22.